Losing or retaining Swedish citizenship
If you have become a Swedish citizen by application you cannot lose your Swedish citizenship if you move abroad. If you are a Swedish citizen and were born and are resident abroad, there are some circumstances under which you may lose your Swedish citizenship. Here you will find out how you can apply to retain it.
You will lose your Swedish citizenship when you reach the age of 22, if you
- were born outside of Sweden
- have never lived here and
- have not visited Sweden in circumstances which indicate an attachment to the country.
You will not lose your Swedish citizenship if this would cause you to become stateless.
To avoid losing your Swedish citizenship, you can apply to retain it. You must do this after you have turned 18 but before you reach the age of 22. You do not need to make such an application if, at any time, you have lived in Sweden or if you have regularly visited Sweden.
Submitting an application
You apply by filling in the form Ansökan om att få behålla svenskt medborgarskap, 302021 (in Swedish only). Submit the application to your closest Swedish embassy or consulate.
If you are visiting Sweden, you can send your application to:
The Swedish Migration Agency
Citizenship Unit
601 70 Norrköping
It costs nothing to apply to retain your Swedish citizenship.
After the decision has been made
The Swedish Migration Agency will send the decision to you or to the Swedish embassy or consulate if you live abroad.